Town facing grim holidays

Officials continue investigation

NEWTOWN, Conn. — Investigators on Saturday worked to understand what led a bright but painfully awkward 20-year-old to slaughter 26 children and adults at a Connecticut elementary school, while townspeople took down Christmas decorations and struggled with how to get through a holiday season that has become a time of mourning.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — Investigators on Saturday worked to understand what led a bright but painfully awkward 20-year-old to slaughter 26 children and adults at a Connecticut elementary school, while townspeople took down Christmas decorations and struggled with how to get through a holiday season that has become a time of mourning.

Amid the sorrow, stories of heroism emerged, including an account of the Sandy Hook Elementary School principal who lost her life lunging at the gunman, Adam Lanza, in an attempt to overpower him.

Police shed no light on the motive for the shooting, though state police Lt. Paul Vance said investigators had found "very good evidence "» that our investigators will be able to use in painting the complete picture, the how and, more importantly, the why."

Another law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said investigators have found no note or manifesto.

The mystery deepened as Newtown education officials said they had found no link between Lanza's mother and the school, contrary to news reports that said she was a teacher there.

Investigators said they believe Adam Lanza attended Sandy Hook Elementary many years ago, but they had no explanation for why he went there Friday.

On Saturday, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. H. Wayne Carver said all the victims were killed up close and shot more than once.

The tragedy plunged Newtown into mourning. Signs in downtown Newtown read, "Hug a teacher today," "Please pray for Newtown" and "Love will get us through."

"People in my neighborhood are feeling guilty about it being Christmas. They are taking down decorations," said Jeannie Pasacreta, a psychologist who was advising parents on how to talk to their children.

Authorities said Lanza had no criminal history; it was not clear if he had a job. He was believed to have had a personality disorder, and to have been diagnosed with Asperger's, a mild form of autism often characterized by social awkwardness.

"You had yourself a very scared young boy, who was very nervous around people," said Richard Novia, who was the district's head of security and adviser to the school's Tech Club, of which Lanza was a member. He added: "He was a loner."

Sandy Hook Elementary will be closed next week — some parents can't imagine sending their kids back, Board of Education chairwoman Debbie Leidlein said — and officials are considering what to do about the town's other schols. "Next week is going to be horrible," said the town's legislative council chairman, Jeff Capeci, referring to the string of funerals ahead. "Horrible, and the week leading into Christmas."

Asked if Newtown would recover, Maryann Jacob, a school library clerk who hid in a storage room with 18 fourth-graders in the rampage, said: "We have to. We have a lot of children left."